It's not goodbye, it's see you later

It's hard to believe that not only will my Stylus career be over soon, but my college career, as well. At the end of this week, I will be done with undergrad classes forever, and will walk the creepy halls near The Stylus office one last time. As I try to mentally prepare myself to walk across the stage and be done with school, I find myself reflecting on the four years I've spent at Brockport.I remember my gut feeling that Brockport was the place for me as my parents and I drove into campus for a tour on a sunny June day way back in 2004. The other SUNY schools I visited didn't compare, aesthetically and academically. I couldn't be happier with the way everything turned out these past four years and can't imagine attending any other school.

My freshman year, back in 2005, was terrifying in the beginning. It was my first time away from home, and I was leaving everything I knew back home, and all my friends were moving to different parts of the state for school. But my year in MacVicar was much more than I could have ever expected. It was an amazing freshman year, even though the third floor, or "big liquor MacVicar," as we affectionately called it, was a bit crazy at times. I met some of my best friends that year, and learned a lot about myself and life in general.

There were two things that scared me the most that first year. One was hating my roommate, and the other was hating my major. I decided on a journalism major with absolutely no experience in the field. All I knew was that I liked watching the news and reading the newspaper every day, and I liked to write and didn't want to be an English major. Luckily for me, my roommate and I became best friends, and I ended up enjoying my first journalism classes.

I didn't officially join The Stylus staff until my junior year, but I was a huge fan of the newspaper since my first year. In fact, The Stylus was one of the reasons I decided to come to Brockport instead of any of the other schools where I was accepted. I remember picking up a copy on the first tour, reading it in the car on the way home and thinking, "I want to be a part of this." Little did I know how important The Stylus would become in my life.

Wednesday quickly became my favorite day of the week - mostly because a new issue of The Stylus would come out, and also because it was ice cream sundae night at the dining halls. I became a staff writer after attending the first Stylus recruitment meeting, and decided to try for a copy editor position my junior year. When I found out I got the position, I literally jumped up and down with excitement. Taking that copy editing test was probably one of the best decisions I've made.

Now that I'm Campus Talk Editor, The Stylus has become an even larger part of my life. I practically live in The Stylus office, and probably spend more time there than my apartment. We, the staff spend so much time with each other, that we grow as close as a family.

I've been realizing lately I would be nowhere without the amazing people in my life. As I prepare to say goodbye to the people and the school I love, I have many people to thank for making me the person I am today:

My parents, for always being so supportive of everything I do, giving me great advice and for always being there. Wes, for being there for me no matter what, loving me for who I am and being my best friend and other half.

Mal, for being an awesome roommate the past three years and being one of my best friends. Allison and Amanda, for becoming two of my best friends. I will never forget our Wednesday tradition, or the amazing conversations we have. My besties from back home, you are always there when I need to vent, and always know what to say. It feels like we never left home whenever we're together. To Professor Ducey, for being an amazing adviser this year, always bringing us food and giving great job-hunting advice.

To the entire staff, you are all some of the most talented people I know, and I know you will all do great things. Thanks for making this such an amazing year. A lot has happened this year, inside and outside of the newsroom, but you've all become like family to me - one big, dysfunctional family.

With graduation on the horizon, I know it will be hard to say goodbye to everyone I've come to know and love. But this is the end of one chapter in my life and the beginning of a new one. Graduating is scary, but I know the class of 2009 will go on to do amazing things. The road of life is long, but always remember where you came from and the people who have helped you along the way. I know I will.

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Sarah's top 5
Stylus memories :

 Wednesday traditions - Wednesdays have always held tradition, from anticipating the new issue of The Stylus, to the ice cream sundaes in the dining halls. This year, a new tradition was added to Wednesday nights. Why we didn't start going out sooner I'll never know, but these are the nights I'll always cherish and remember.

 Making green beer in the office - I'll never forget the St. Patrick's day issue, or all the craziness that went on while trying to make green beer for a picture in the Lifestyles section. It took at least three 40 oz. containers of beer to get the perfect picture, and just the right amount of food coloring to make it the right shade of green. We ended up with green fingers and green spots all over the couch. The picture came out great, though.

 Last year's banquet - My first Stylus banquet was unforgettable. From meeting up at one of the other copy editor's houses before hand, to winning the award for "Best Handwriting," it was a great end to my first year as a Stylus member.

 Last year's copy editing teams - I loved all the copy editors last year. We all became really good friends and worked together great. I'll never forget Angela, Kate or Brighid.

 Random adventures - We go on a lot of random adventures at The Stylus. From mid-afternoon trips to Wegmans for more Red Bull, to driving into downtown Rochester, our adventures are always unforgettable.